Easter Flip

Hello everyone,
In these first few days after Easter, I have had the opportunity to reflect on the weekend and what exactly Easter means to me.  This weekend at mass Fr. Tom reminded us that although bunnies, chocolate, pastel colors, and other sugar-loaded items are nice, cute, and pleasant, this is not the point.  In order to recall the point, we must be willing to flip this springtime "hoppy-ness" on its head and realize that at it's core Easter should encourage within us a counter-cultural spirit.  After all, I don't think that rising from the dead was Jesus' way of conforming to the culture of his day.  A more recent example might be Pope Francis.  Anyone who has been following the events of his early days as pope has seen him reflecting this counter-cultural spirit for us.  He has, in a sense, flipped the visible image of the papacy on it's head.  Through his actions, he seems to be reconnecting us to the core mission of Easter and Jesus' ministry: to show us what is means to serve others rather than being served by others (Matthew 20: 26-28).  In light of all of this and my own experiences, I've come to believe that this is the point of Easter.  In order to fully experience the resurrection of Jesus in our lives, we must be willing to resurrect ourselves out of cultural conformity for the bigger cause of loving service to our friends, relatives, and enemies.  If we can do this, we can better understand the love God showed us and continues to show us through the Paschal Mystery (life, death, and resurrection of Jesus).

Now, it' your turn...

What does Easter mean to you?

I would love for you to share your Easter thoughts with me and other readers in the comments section below.  Thanks.

May we be ever-faithful, ever-mindful, and ever-joyful!